NAFPS Selections: Ngystle Society's Dangerous Pseudoscience

[From the New Age Frauds and Plastic Shamans forum, by "Ingeborg," March 25, 2014]:

The Ngystle Society has embraced and promoted Psychology of Vision

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As has been mentioned, PoV trainers from British Columbia have founded a Ngystle Society based in Skidegate on Haida Gwaii, with which they promote and organise PoV seminars, as well as seminars with plastic shaman Erick Gonzalez ( see http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=3420.0  ).

However, Ngystle also promote the use of pseudo-medical devices in their premises. Although the rates are not exorbitant ($ 5 resp meanwhile $ 6 for 30 minutes), it has to be pointed out that they are targeting a non-affluent community. What is worse, Ngystle are using the community newsletters as a platform for publishing advertising articles and they are making numerous health claims attributed to the devices.
Further info on the devices – e.g. a so-called Amethyst Bio-Mat and a device called Trinfinity8 – are provided by our friends at Psiram:

http://www.psiram.com/en/index.php/Trinfinity8

http://www.psiram.com/en/index.php/Amethyst_Bio-Mat

In an advertising article published in the Skidegate newsletter dd Jan 15, 2009, Ngystle say:

http://www.skidegate.ca/Newsletters/Jan15.09.pdf [Update: dead link, 1/3/17]

Quote

    […] A session lasts 30 minutes and costs $5.00.

    The Amethyst Bio-Mat is a „pad“ which lies on top of a massage table. As you lie on the Bio-Mat, far infrared rays are passed through Amethyst Crystal. The rays penetrate 6-8 inches into the innermost recesses of the body, stimulating heating and regeneration of nerves and muscle tissue layers. It reduces swelling, increases blood flow and has been shown to destroy cancer and viral cells without harming surrounding healthy cells. The Bio-Mat:
    relieves pain & joint stiffness
    Increases blood circulation
    Decreases hyperactivity
    Strengthens the cardiovascular system
    Rejuvenates skin & cellular function
    Induces deep Delta State of relaxation
    Reduces stress and fatigue
    Boosts energy & vitality
    Burns calories and controls weight
    Removes wastes & toxins
    Boosts the immune system
    Regulates Psychological well being.

All of the above claims are unsubstantiated – the effects have never been proven scientifically. The devices are not acknowledged by scientifically based medicine.

On top of that, the claim of the device „destroy[ing] cancer and virus cells“ may endanger the health and lives of their customers who, relying on such promises, probably delay medical treatment. Another aspect is that Ngystle, as far as could be established from an internet research, does not have any medically trained employees who will be in a position to realise whether clients suffer from dangerous conditions or not.

Claims like „Decreases hyperactivity“, and „Induces deep Delta State of relaxation“ rely on a state of relaxation brought about by spending 30 minutes relaxing on a mat. A „delta state“ must be something new to science. However, this is nothing which lying on the sofa in one's living room wouldn't bring about, either, and this also does not cost clients $ 6. As far as a decrease of hyperactivity is concerned, it is again unproven and unfounded, at least beyond any calming effect to be had by lying down on any sofa at home. Hyperactivity is a medical condition and needs respective treatment by experts, not by Nuagers selling applications of some devices they believe nifty.

Ngystle also claim the device was in a position to „rejuvenate skin & cellular function“. Oh wow – we haven't only got a device to free us from cancer, it's also the proverbial fountain of youth. Or is it? No way. Devices or applications sold with such arguments will have a very restricted effect – the effect of increasing the weight of the vendor's wallet.

The same is true for the claim „burns calories and controls weight“. HTH can any technical device, or rather its inlay of amethysts and tourmalins, burn calories I consumed and control my weight? That's easy: it simply cannot and will not. If losing weight were to be achieved by some mat, or by buying expensive dietary supplements or whatever, the only garment size produced in this world would be size 0.

The claim of the device „removing wastes & toxins“ is a sales pitch often used in the Nuage and pseudo-medical scenes („detoxification“). This claim is rhubarb, too.

Another claim is: „boosts the immune system“. This, too, is quite common within the Nuage and pseudo-medical scenes and lots of soooper-remedies, dietary supplements etc are sold with this promise. However, if you're in a normal state of health, all you need to rely on is your regular immune system. Contrary to such claims as the above, you should rather pray your immune system does not get boosted – since this would mean you developed an auto-immune disease.

The promised regulation of psychological well-being – well, again this can be obtained far cheaper by a good rest on your sofa at home. The device is not able to do anything beyond what your sofa will do for you.

Many of the promises made cannot be controlled by the client and simply depend on clients' impressions. A client believing in the claims and the device's effectiveness will be rather prone to look into the mirror afterwards and be sure they got less wrinkles than before. They expect to have more energy and vitality, so they will feel this way.

Advertising dubious devices with health claims BTW is illegal according to EU law and an offence. I wonder whether this is any different in Canada and how did they get away with using health claims in their promotional texts for the past five years....

All in all, Ngystle bought themselves a few nice money-printing machines: the one effect their devices will have is to generate income for them. Oh, and one of the group targeted by them and ushered onto mats and what else they got in the way of devices are Residential School Survivors.